
v'^(^■,■••:^v•.;^■^<:^4 









m^^i^^::. 












i 

r 









.->•*, 



r--Tv.w-',rv'"'T.fv;'V 



wi\T/i*'.i! i:^ 










LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, 

),....... Copyright ^o,... 



Chap.. ...... 



Shelf. 




X_A_J 



UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



Thoughtful Hours 

It 



Thoughtful 
Hours'^ *« 

^ 3Sook of ^oems 
i53/S.M.HERRICK 







CINCINNATI 

"THE LITERARY SHOP" 

1899 



: dN^-- 






41301 



COPYRIGHT, 1899, 
BY S. M. HERRICK 



•ECONO OOPY, 



DEDICATED TOe^,^ 
MRS. D. A. MORRIS 
BY HER FRIEND J, 
THE AUTHOR^^^ 



PREFACE 

**Tr5UT men of long - enduring 

-L^ hopes, 
And careless what this hour may- 
bring, 
Can pardon little would-be Popes 
And Brummels, when they try to 
sing. 

An Artist, sir, should rest in Art, 
And waive a little of his claim ; 

To have the deep poetic heart 
Is more than all poetic fame. 

3 



4 PREFACE 

But you, sir, you are hard to please ; 

You never look but half content ; 
Nor like a gentleman at ease, 

With moral breadth of temperament.. 

?j£ 0^ ^j^ ^^ ?{* 

^Vhat profits now^ to understand 
The merits of a spotless shirt — 

A dapper boot, a little hand — 
If half the little soul is dirt? " 

— Tennyson. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

Preface ------.3 

Thoue^htful Hours ----- xx 

Friendship -------12 

Affliction is Wisdom ----- xj 

Addressing the Deity ----- 14 

Charity ------- X5 

A Prayer ------- x6 

The Picture ------ xg 

Addressing the Nightingale - - . - ao 

A Short Love Poem ----- 29 

Triumphant Cuba ------ a6 

Saiot Cecilia ------ 38 

5 



O CONTENTS 

PAGE 

A Human Rose ------ 30 

An Elemental War ----- 33 

Speculation -------35 

The Soul's Prayer - - - - - 37 

A Twilight Stroll - - - - - - 39 

To Mrs. Morris ----- 41 

The Poet 43 

Sonnet — Qenius ----- 45 

Apostrophe to Alice and Phoebe Gary - - 47 

Morn ------- 49 

Night - - Sr 

A Plea 53 

Retirement -- - - - - -55 

Cupid ------- 57 

Love's Spring Song - - - - - 58 

On Byron's Poem, "To Woman" - - 60 

A Wish 61 

Fashion - - - - -- -.62 

To Maude: On Her Picture - - - -63 

To H.— Sonnet ----- 65 

Virtue - - - -- - -67 

On My Friends ----- 68 

Fame — Sonnet . _ - - . - 70 

To a Virtuous Young Man - - - - 72 

Time --------74 



CONTENTS 7 

PAGE 

A False Friend ... - - 75 

On Friendship ------ 78 

A Hymn ^^ 

On an Oak Planted for Me at My Home (1899) - 80 

Cincinnati ..---- 8a 

Away, Ye Youthful Friends - - - - 83 

A Regret - - - - " " . ®* 

Poetry _------ 86 

Love 88 

Menaces ------- 9^ 

The Evening Star: Hesperus - - - 9a 
The Storm -------93 

Self-interest 95 

On Greatness ..-.-- 96 

Repose in Sorrow ----- 98 

Philosophy and Religion - - - - 100 

Introducing a Book - - - - - *o* 

To Metaphysicians ----- loa 

Wisdom »03 

To Y "4 

The Wish 105 

Address to My Own Personality - - - 107 

There is No Marrying in Heaven - - 108 

Sorrow : Food for Genius - - - - log 

Viewing a Parade ----- 110 



8 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 

The Music of the Soul ----- iii 

Eternity -__.__ uj 

To X14 

Melancholy -.-.-. ng 

To 118 

Spring Grove ------ 119 

Dreams ------- 121 

To H ------ X22 

In Life— Adieu ------ 123 

No Years in Truth ----- xas 

Man -------- ia6 

O Let Me When I Die - . - - 128 

To H -------xag 

O When to Earth ----- X30 

Epistle to Mrs. Morris ----- 132 

Adieu to Earth ----- 134 

False Hearts ------ 136 

Midnight ------ 137 

To R 138 

Fortune ------- X40 

A Lover's Song ------ 14X 

To a Friend ------ 142 

To - - - - - - - 144 

To .--..-- 146 

To 14* 



CONTENTS 9 

PAGB 

borrow for a Friend's Absence ... i^o 

With Friends --.... i^ 

Decoration-Day - - . . . 154 

O For a Spot --.... 15- 

O Moon, Good-night .... jg5 

To 158 

To C. W. T. 159 

^V^itten in "Lady of the Lake" - - - x6x 

i-i*e X63 



THOUGHTFUL HOURS 

OLET me dream of time that has 
no strife, 
Of hours when thought sits pleasant 

on the brow^; 
When through Eternity the suns, 

emitting life, 
Tell of the part we know as nothing 

now. 
Then let me sing of all that I can 

feel 
The universe vastly doth by night 

display; 
Of all that to the sight doth seem 

unreal : 
These are the hours to sing my heav- 
enly lay — 
The thoughtful hours beneath the 
moon's soft beaming ray. 
II 



FRIENDSHIP 

HONOR sincere, kindness, love, 
Essential qualities from above, 
Must be in a friend. 
Learning profound, but culture more. 
From out the feeling heart must pour 

To be a friend. 
Taste, beauty, wit, but sympathy real, 
Humanity, justice, truth ideal. 
Are in a friend. 



12 



AFFLICTION IS WISDOM 

AFFLICTION is wisdom: the man 
"Who tramps for "work 
From morn till night, and looks at 

Fortune's "windo^vs, 
Whose heart "wells at each impatient 

shrug and nod 
Of cool dismissal from her lavish door, 
Kno"ws -what no books can teach, no 
learned art convey. 



15 



ADDRESSING THE DEITY 

FATHER of Mercies, watch my 
restless soul, 
Which far from thee doth often sadly 

rove; 
Save me from social, selfish pangs 

which rend 
The heart, and send it far from thee. 
Show^ me thy throne of peace, of love, 

of happiness, 
And shed, thou God of Universal 

Light, 
Thy truth and gentleness on my \vay- 

ward heart. 



14 



CHARITY 

AND is a man "who spends his 
money free 
A charitable man to thee? 
Dost thou not have to labor to the bone 

His petty dollar to loan? 
Call that charity in one \vho should free 
Give "without recompense to thee ; 
Endow institutions, feed the helpless 
poor, 
Live nobly, expect not fewer 
Thanks than Nature gets for her rich 
store. 
O heartless man, give more! 



15 



A PRAYER 

GREAT God of Mercy, soul's de- 
light, 
O hear my humble prayer : 
Beam upon me thy pow^erful light, 
For I am full of care. 

My heart and head alternate rule 
This trembling frame of mine ; 

The conflict seems so very cruel 
Since I am wholly thine. 

The days are long w^ithout the time 
Measured by mortal hours; 

I ^vait the sign, thou \vho art kind, 
To call me to thy bower. 

i6 



A PRAYER 17 

The dreams I 've fancied of thy bliss 
Reserved for purest souls, 

Has kept me hoping for Death's kiss 
To lay my body cold. 

Resigned, however, to thy will, 

I humbly bow my head; 
Let wisdom give me all my fill. 

Only by it I 'm fed. 

The blessing thou hast showered on 
me, 
In giving me heart friends, 
Such as long walked in step with 
thee — 
To heaven their soul tends. 

Forgive, dear Father, I beseech. 
My wayward, flighty thoughts ; 

They soar to thee, but rarely reach 
The sphere where they are caught. 



i8 



A PRAYER 



Command my life, thy service free ; 

Thou gav'st this mind its home : 
Command it to be true to thee, 

And never let it roam. 

No temple like the purest heart 
Contains thy sacred name; 

No verse, unless of thee a part. 
Will bring the author fame. 

Thou art the body of the globe. 

As well the life it holds; 
Thou swing'st w^ith every planet 
round, 

Omnipresent, yet untold. 

O, if thy care extends so far. 
And comprehends the w^hole. 

Dost thou upon me ever look. 
And guide my burdened soul ! 



Y 



THE PICTURE 

OUR beauty runs to my finger's tip 

And out upon my pen 

I press the token to my lip, 

Thou gavest me, again. 



Thy perfect face, how can I tell 
What only love can see ! 

The look is there I love so well, 
*Tis all I see of thee. 

That look is beauty's lovely look, 
So tender and so mild ; 

To me it is a favorite book. 

In which there 's nothing wild. 



19 



A 



ADDRESSING 
THE NIGHTINGALE 

ND I am sad, sweet nightingale, 
as you, 
And I would gladly sing as sw^eet as 

you. 
A heavy gloom, like night, sits on my 

heart. 
Nor I know w^hy; nor can I doubt but 

that 
My sympathetic soul imbibes from 

souls 
Something of their smart. Not I for 
Nature, 

20 



ADDRESSING THE NIGHTINGALE 21 

But Nature in me has made me light 

and sad 
Alternately. A plant that shrinks by- 
touch; 
A bird ^vhose happy wings her freedom 

gives ; 
A sparkling brook that murmurs in 

flo'svery nook ; 
A star afar is seen to dwell alone ; 
A zephyr that floats between the forest 

trees 
Am I : companion of thy life, sweet 

bird ; 
A philomel of running stream of song, 
That from your tender throat I silent 

learned 
That melody not found in busy throng. 



A SHORT LOVE POEM 

AND I will tell you, as you wish 
me to, 

A story sad of lovers' broken bliss. 

It was a meeting you may guess — an 
accident. 

After, he sought her, she thought a 
spirit worn 

With weary troubles since a man be- 
come, 

Searching for comfort as he ne'er had 
know^n. 

AVhen young and light, it seems, he, 
thoughtless, wed; 

22 



A SHORT LOVE POEM 23 

And now two lovely children he has 
bred. 

But he has left them to the mother's 
care — 

A mother, but not a friend. For two 
long years 

He mourned his babies' voice, a dis- 
tracted man. 

Thus they met, and by his sorrow^ his 
heart she read. 

Each, for merit displayed, grasped the 
hand 

In token of vow, and thus their friend- 
ship 

Grew^, though it w^as ignorant love the 
w^hile. 

Such love to her — unseeking, unselfish 
love — 

Could mean but eternal joy, or ever- 
lasting youth ; 

A scented bower of fragrant heaven. 



24 A SHORT LOVE POEM 

From his warm fingers, as they fle^v 
o'er melting 

Keys, forth melodies rang ; soft by the 
influence 

Of her gentle face into divine im- 
promptus. 

And he could play and ne'er play again 
the same, 

So richly varied w^as his music ; and as 

His moody soul poured forth its thought 
she loved him. 

And she some little poem vv^rote — or 

but 
A verse, a stanza, a song with fainter 

music. 
It was her nature thus to show her 

feeling.. 
Ne'er did young hearts so happy blend ; 

their love, 



A SHORT LOVE POEM 2$ 

Like loveliest May, was fair and blos- 
soming too — 

And yet how sweetly sad their sudden 
parting ! 

She never told her love, but well he 

knew^. 
As when blush a rose a zephyr ardent 

dare, 
He kissed her his farewell — on earth 

adieu ! 
Back to his heartless spouse she bade 

him go ; 
She thought 'twas better so. But O, 

let nature 
Shrink from looking into human woe ! 



TRIUMPHANT CUBA 

CUBA, the Island of the Sea, where 
nature 
Grows luxuriantly, thy freedom given ! 
Welcome thee our hand, w^hich-for 

thyself we 
Now extend, trusting that the Heav- 
enly Father bring 
You blessing, such as he has shed on 

sweet 
America. May from this noble war 
Thy great men spring, anxious for thy 

peace and 
Happiness. Our sister land we hail ! 

26 



TRIUMPHANT CUBA 27 

A glorious victory won o'er Spanish 

pride, 
W^hose reign of oppression, long with- 
stood by humble 
Souls, eager for sword to save thy 

humble poor. 
It was the hand of God, who for thee 

raised 
His scepter from on high and banished 

Spain 
To prayer. Hail, new-born Cuba ! thou 

mayst be 
A nation fit to rank with all; for each 
In turn must have its face to sleep in 

history. 



SAINT CECILIA 

DAUGHTER of Music, Saint Ce- 
cilia divine, 
Immortal player of the High, I look 
On thee. A wonderful, happy thing 
That human likeness preserved can be 
In painting rare and fair of master hand. 
Dim, vv^ith inspiration flowing through 

thy 
Quivering nerves, thy eyes appear, 

calm, 
Majestic, centered on the God they 
loved ; 

28 



SAINT CECILIA 29 

While raised thy hand, as if it speaks 
on keys 

W^hich tremble ere they sound the 
Master's hymns; 

And in thy face a sunbeam breaks 
through clouds 

Of earth, and through the light sweet 
cherubs sing. 

Haloing thee with smiles and shower- 
ing flow^ers. 



A 



A HUMAN ROSE 

BABE, whose loveliness w^e 
"watched from birth 
To childhood's wnning vrays, and saw 

it grow^ 
A mystery ne'er to be revealed. At 

first 
The little eyes scarce put forth sight; 

then 
Appeared those radiant orbs, gazing 

like one 
"With puzzled thought. My soul w^ent 

out to it. 

30 



A HUMAN ROSE 3I 

And, though it came a stranger here, 

it knew^ 
Its home — the mother, dear. Then 

brighter grew^ 
The little mind ; the head expanded; 

the body- 
Forced itself into form of beautiful in- 
fant 
To the view, with foot as perfect as its 

tiny 
Hand, and cheek as plump as blushing 

rose 
And fair. What other flower with it 

compare? 



Now it just knows me when I come to 

play 
And touch its chin. Its grandmamma 

thinks 
She sees me mirrored there, in its dark 

and 



32 A HUMAN ROSE 

Glowing eyes. Such is love, that babes 

so fair 
^Wear the image of purest soul ; but 

not I 
Its resemblance share, though sweet 

Friendship 
Throw^s me there. Rather can I, in 

the happy thought. 
Find a reflection of her mind, and know 
That her soul, like silvery brook, w^ears 

modest 
A nobleness so rare, through it you may 

look. 
But the babes, the sweetest face, just 

as lovely 
As the rose, fragrant yet with scented 

heaven. 



AN ELEMENTAL WAR 



R 



ESTLESS heaven is all at war to- 
night, 

And man in terror lives, watching her 
black 

Suspended clouds, fighting as they meet 
for victory. 

Hark ! her cannons' roar proclaims the 
battle's on, 

And lightning terrifies the listening 
sense. 

What difficulties has heaven with sub- 
dued man? 

5 33 



34 AN ELEMENTAL WAR 

Is it to show an eager giant's pow^er, 
Tearing \vith his might the beauty seen 
before ? 



And no^v the rain in drops falls large 
and strong 

As cannon balls rapidly on the greedy 

Earth, absorbing all she can; this heavy 
weight 

From Heaven's rich store for Nature's 
food 

Pattering on the pavement near, a 
music brings. 

Sw^eet to the quiet peaceful ear — a 
strain 

A gracious blessing brings a loving tid- 
ing 

Unto man that yet the Provider lives. 



L 



SPECULATION 

IKE awful thought of poet, the 
w^orld before 
Him lays, shines the red star a ruby 

bright, 
Other stars around forming a diamond 

setting. 
Man how^ singular looked belo'w! a speck 
'Mid blazing sea of fire. One step, he 

passes 
From the street below to regions dark, 

unknow^n 
Behind this lovely scene of starry night. 

35 



36 



SPECULATION 



What destiny has he, what has been 

reserved ? 
In all this vast creation better than 
His reason to perceive its beauty here? 
The thought o*erpo"wers me, to earth I 

look, 
And as I look, dow^n fall millions of 

miles. 



THE SOUL'S PRAYER 

WRAP me, dear Father, in thy 
mystic veil. 
Let eternal melodies thrill my trem- 
bling nerves ; 
Let life's low^ cares ne'er disturb my 

peaceful dream 
Of all that's lovely in the universe 
untold. 



Spare me from those w^hose vacant 

minds ne'er rose 
To dawn on you, ^vho love and walk 

the path 

6 37 



38 THE SOUL'S PRAYER 

I dare not roam ; place me above the 

foaming 
Crowd, in quiet altitude to think of 

thee. 

Father, then let me strive my best to 

sing 
By feeling harp the beauties I survey, 
Thy kingdom great is large enough for 

all. 
O help me to thy throne, the Lord of 

all! 

Many w^retched hearts bow low^ to thee. 
In every clime, in every nook of earth ; 
But few are they who wear thee in 

their hearts 
From day to day, and feel thy holy 

calm. 



A TWILIGHT STROLL 

WHEN thy sad heart, too sensi- 
tive for one 

Who, not knowing his frail self, re- 
bukes it 

For its virtuous faults, wanders forth 
to get 

A change of scene, and ease the sore 
which smarts 

With constant pain, w^hat foreign sights 
it sees ! 

The glaring street, so shocking with 
rich things, 

39 



40 A TWILIGHT STROLL 

Rich to the vulgar, but vexatious to 
the w^ise. 

Soldiers parading on the pavement 
clean, 

Smiling the while with such an igno- 
rant grin. 

Women in silks a shopping go, but 
more 

Their self-love to show. Men hurry- 
ing w^ith speed 

Their business to tend — a most pre- 
cious thing. 

But w^here 's a heart looking to see the 
destiny of things? 



TO MRS. MORRIS 

MOTHER to me, in spiritual 
realm, 
Thou whom my heart has oft ad- 
dressed 
In soliloquy at the starlight time, 
When heaven to me appeared so near, 
And God's loved inspiration charmed 

my ear, — 
Of thee they happy counsel ask, 
As oft I 've done. Woman of gentlest 

soul. 
Tender, severe, and mild, 

41 



42 TO MRS. MORRIS 

Heaven's blessings ever sho^ver thy 

life 
With peaceful friends, and may they 

love, 
Exalt, and know thee strong; armed 
W^ith the spirit of God, as I have done. 



THE POET 

THOUGH many pleasant days his 
mind doth see, 
Yet it as many stormy ones must feel. 
A live nest of buzzing insects quarreling 
Is that mind itself, pursuing, hunting 
The mystic gold, bestowed alone by 
Heaven. 

Sometimes his w^illful mind with mad- 
ness runs ; 

Again, 'tis brighter than the midday 
sun. 

43 



44 THE POET 

Through azure space unmeasured, it 
soars and falls, 

Leaving it a wreck of the distance 
flo^vn, 

Though on w^ings of love hidden se- 
crets found. 



G 



SONNET— GENIUS 



ENIUS, thou lamp of purest heav- 
enly light, 

Thou burnst 'midst the foulest scenes 
of hell, 

And "what thy dangers are thou "well 
canst tell ; 

Oft thy soul confused will take a for- 
eign flight, 

Oft thy body, its sufferings destroy de- 
light, 

Again, thy heart \vith hunger excessive 
fell, 

45 



46 SONNET GENIUS 

And drops thee in a desolate, unhappy 

dell, 
Adversity's self spreads round the 

deepest night. 
Then friends unkind disclose an untrue 

face, 
And labor for thy food brings burdened 

breast; 
Thy powers with other pow^ers run 

rapid race, 
And little time hast thou for natural 

rest; 
Thy fortune lies in sowing w^ith God's 

grace, 
And thou on earth art left an unhappy 

guest. 



APOSTROPHE TO ALICE 
AND PHCEBE CAREY 



A 



LICE, thou much-loved poet of 
our dell, 

And thou, Phoebe, sister by birth and 
love. 

Did ye, when from us ye did cheer- 
ful go, 

Leave on the hilltop your genius spir- 
its so 

There to rove, as angels to the inner 
sight, 

Greeting the midnight student \vhen 
pours his soul 

47 



48 APOSTROPHE 

Into eternal thought, -which happy 

d\velt in you. 
Thought which God gives and raises 

to his throne, 
Hearts pure and free, spiritual — such 

as ye. 



MORN 



9/Tr> IS Morn who brings the blush to 

JL my sad cheek, 
'Tis Morn w^ho sends me out with 

grateful smile ; 
'Tis she, fair mistress of the ardent 

sun. 
Who in my sparkling, dazzled eyes 

doth dw^ell, 
And pours her loving freshness on my 

heart, 
'Tis she, in rosy dress, inspires my 

song. 

7 49 



50 MORN 

Hail, modest morn, the glory of kind 

Heaven, 
Thou his pride, thou noblest touch 

'mid his creation. 
To Night no coloring like to you He 

gave ; 
The flow^ers' s^veet face ne'er w^inning 

ope for him. 
And happy sun, in splendor dressed, 

does not 
In beauty, health, outshine the dreary 

moon. 



NIGHT 



5/T^IS Night who on my forehead 

A heavy sits 
With wisdom as I gaze upon his 

sights ; 
The region of the sky, its blooming 

stars, 
Its sad and melancholy moon, who 

sways 
Him listless as her dark and yielding 

slave. 
Yet radiates his thoughtful, sober face. 

51 



52 NIGHT 

Below^ the blazing cities with delight 
Look and admire this busy scene 

above ; 
Admire the amour of the playful stars, 
And watch the constellation families, 
And all the innocent light of heaven 
Watch, rarely love, w^hat infinite 

hearts approve. 



A PLEA 

L 



ISTEN to the lowing calves, as 
in a car 

They ride through busy streets to ig- 
norant death. 

Perhaps they know their companions* 
cruel fate 

And sad, look puzzled, sudden parted 
now 

From grassy knoll and vernal shallow- 
pool. 

O spare them, glutton man, thy food 
enough 

8 53 



54 A PLEA 

The fertile earth abundant yields for 

thee ; 
Why take a life, hcwever humble be, 
And deprive it of the heavenly sun 

and air? 
Spare them for \vhat thou, thyself, 

lovest to share. 



w 



RETIREMENT 



HO would the pleasures of the 
heart forbear, 
Or music that the eternal soul doth 

yield ; 
Contemplation's scene, -with heaven 

dropped below 
In some loved, rustic, shadow^y, 

thoughtful dell. 
With brooklet flowing at thy quiet 

feet, 
While Rovers and Maybells on the 

flowery lav/n, 

55 



5^ RETIREMENT 

Play tricks w^ith Nature, innocent 'with 

glee. 
Or rest the eye upon the charms of 

day, 
Or troubled, starry ocean, seen at 

night. 
O "who, these mirthless delights e'er 

willing kne'w, 
Regret the stormy scenes of fevered 

life, 
Or folly's seizing, selfish, fearing joys. 
Which please but those whose empty 

minds ride high ? 



CUPID 

CUPID has me now I know, 
He has shot me with his bow; 
Now no longer doth my soul 
Roam in Nature uncontrolled. 
By his fetters I am bound, 
Fetters pleasant wound around 
By Love's threads so fine yet strong, 
I can hardly raise a song. 



57 



LOVE'S SPRING SONG 



o 



"WHY has Nature from me kept 
my mate? 
If he doth live, "why have I met him 

not? 
The soul repines her dainty choice to 

make, 
No"w spring is here, and favored birds 

do 'wed. 
The flo\vers bloom fairer for those 

hearts "which glo"w; 
The voice of God in every sound is 

heard ; 

58 



LOVE'S SPRING SONG 59 

The trees tower higher, warm w^ith 

flowing sap ; 
The birds sing sweeter; innocent 

zephyrs laugh ; 
Cupid looks out and hears the twilight 

song,— 
O why from me Love's pleasures kept 

so long? 



ON BYRON'S POEM, 
*^TO ^VOMAN'' 

BYRON, w^e kno\v that we are frail. 
Why tell us this in pretty tale ; 
No frailer though are -we than thou. 
Men \vith hearts which glow for an 

hour, 
Glow^ if ^ve so negative be 
That thou in affirmative mayst see. 
If thou canst enjoy the charms w^e 

throw^, 
Thou think'st not of the love bestow^ed. 
Indeed, I scarce know^ man's strongest 

mood. 
To yield to woman his heart or soul. 



60 



A WISH 

WELL would I love to live in 
bovver 
^A/■ith some kind spirit, glorious hour, 
When all to us the world is lost, 
And heaven descends to live w^ith us. 
From one the other would imbibe 
What she may need and he not hide 
From her the same, and O the bliss 
Such friendship rarely doth exist. 
Two powers w^ith light shed from on 

high 
Could rouse the world to weep or fly ; 
But not for me a mind so rare ; 
Alone I live, alone despair. 



6i 



FASHION 

THOU art in fashion, 't is the same 
As being one among the lame, 
Who walk w^ith crutches, or by sight. 
And see not farther of beauty's light 
Not more than several blocks ahead. 
Such persons think not — feel, are led. 
Only by passion are they fed. 



62 



TO MAUDE: 
ON HER PICTURE 

SWEET, amiable, and kind, but vain 
art thou ; 
This likeness shows thy character — thy 

soul. 
Thou lovest richest dress, not modest 

gown, 
I 'm sorry, Maude, thou art too good 

for this; 
Vanity unbecoming is in thee. 
Schoolgirls should leave it when they 

leave their books ; 

63 



64 TO MAUDE: ON HER PICTURE 

And too, I see, complacent self-love 

smiles 
That plays w^inning on thy dimpled 

cheek. 
More proud thou art than the known 

author is 
Who has for many years held thee as 

dear 
As any one, and yet thou never knew- 

est — 
Your portrait lies w^ith many more of 

mine, 
But I would like a fairer one of thee, 
\Vhere innate virtue will illumine thy 

brow^. 



TO H.— SONNET 

THY figure dressed in reason, 
statue stood ; 
Thy face wore calmness as a virgin's 

veil, 
And yet thou, seraph, never hast be- 

^vailed, 
And all that passed that ere thou 

understood. 
Thy eyes so fair with inspiration could 
See all, and O how^ delicately frail 
Thy beauty is, thy eyes when in a 
gale 
9 65 



66 



TO H.— SONNET 



Shine as no je'wel shines, they w^ere 

as food 
To hungry souls, -when heaven was 

dark to sight, 
And Nature from fancy's eye hidden 

lay, 
No spiritual illuming soul-felt light 
To make them happy in their little 

day. 
But body love prevents this reason's 

flight. 
And keeps the eagle soul in moulded 

clay. 



VIRTUE 

VIRTUE, a maid of sober eye, 
Like autumn leaves that fall to 
die; 
Sweet as the rose ^vhen in its bloom, 
And the bee steals the soul's perfume; 
Pure as a brook in shady nook, 
The veil of love has graceful took. 
Dressed in Melancholy's favorite gown, 
Worn by angels, whose spirit around 
Guides, unforeseen, Innocence w^hen 

found. 
And soft whispers to Purity alone 
Before the enemy w^ill have flow^n. 
Nun of the world, unsheltered, un- 
known. 
In thine heart only, thou art a recluse. 



67 



ON MY FRIENDS 

I 



WEEP my unworthiness I feel 
Loved by friends who see noble- 



ness appear 
In every thought which illumines their 

brow^, 
And smiles on me, making me happy 

now^, 
While sincerity, w^ith suffering grace 
So perfect, free, shines in their face. 

Sweet Influence, ever shed thy dew, 
W^holesome and godly of these few, 

68 



ON MY FRIENDS 6g 

Upon my feeble heart, there let it rest, 
As I ^vould lie upon stronger breast. 
My soul, thankful, can not express, 
HoAV much I feel myself blessed. 



O let my God new friends oft choose. 
My judgment w^avering doth refuse ; 
But leave it for thyself, dear Lord, 
My vision apt to err. A cord 
Unites my soul to thee, thou Fount 
Supply me with each Virtue's w^ant. 

lO 



F 



FAME— SONNET 



AME, a feather that doth blow 
from place to place, 
And lights on few, blown by the wind 

as fickle 
As the wind w^hich the ambitious bard 

doth tickle. 
With vanity he rides in air; he runs 

a race 
With minds of every caliber; pleasing 

face 
Of Fortune smiling w^ith smiles w^hich 

w^rinkle 

70 



FAME— SONNET Jl 

His genius, a shining star alone should 
t\vinkle 

And number him as one, the immor- 
tal race. 

Thus he w^ho 's popular, loved, and 
courted. 

His verse as dust — it can not live — 
returns. 

For is not such a greedy heart dis- 
torted? 

A god he 'd be, yet oft the early 'worm 

Of earthly mold w^ith spirits oft re- 
'warded 

Creeps o'er the soil, and eats but 
genius' germ. 



TO A 
VIRTUOUS YOUNG MAN 

A SMILE thou gavest, but not to 
me ; 
I can not say deserve I thee, 
Such treasure as a smile to me 
To spend so carelessly. 

Smiles on thy face, like sun to earth, 
Can melt the hardest heart, if worth 
May touch the fickleness of mirth 
To Avin her graciously. 

72 



TO A VIRTUOUS YOUNG MAN 73 

Rosy thy cheek as fair as worn, 
Beautiful, yet thy eye forlorn 
With early sorrow, careless w^orn 
To hide it thoughtfully. 



And on thy brow cool reason sits, 
And thou art thankful for thy wit, 
And doth all favors soon requite 
To feel as honorably. 

Thy brow, thy cheek, thy face, thy 

smile, — 
Such nobleness can ne'er beguile, 
Though thou may'st forget the while 

To look as generously. 



TIME 

TIME, thou angel-footed, unseen, 
mighty thief, 
Thou art sublime, thou representative 

of Him ; 
Eternity's broad - flowing, navigable 

stream, 
Thou fleetest ere our eyes to slumber 

go, 
For night is sleepy death when thou 

dost pass 
Unnoticed and unheard. Messenger 

of Heaven, 
Opportunity bring to every low op- 
pressed 
And wretched heart, they profit for 

moments misspent 
They ne'er can recall, howe'er the 

bosom w^eep. 



74 



A FALSE FRIEND 

TAKE it from mine eyes, dear 
Father, 
Let his beauty plead no further; 
Once I should have loved to see 
The picture now I long for thee 
To cast from out my sight. 

He was unkind, no reason mine, 
I thought that he who long was thine 
Could never, never be unkind. 
But constant friends are hard to find 
To follow in thy light. 

75 



76 A FALSE FRIEND 

I could not rest myself content 
If I my love had never lent 
To warm the care of Patience's heart, 
When she so thoughtful acts her part, 
To sorrow^ in the right. 



Regrets there are which never fade, 
For Memory from her thought ne'er 

laid 
Away these flowers with thorny stem 
Which prick us in the gem. 

To pluck we would delight. 

Friends all will be when Heaven 's 

w^ith me. 
For under foliage of shady tree, 
Which spreads its branches far and 

w^ide. 
They love to dwell, but ever hide 

When summer takes her flight. 



A FALSE FRIEND 77 

Though beauty plead, if once untrue, 
My thoughts of him are very few ; 
Fair eyes and thoughtful brow conceal 
Not always virtue though seems real, 
But dark as starless night. 

Friends should be few as golden books, 
And from a favored few I took 
But one nobly to represent my soul. 
And he faithless represents the whole : 
O cast him from my sight ! 



ON FRIENDSHIP 

IT is enough, if friendship \ve w^ould 
gain, 
To quiet nobly wait, and still remain 
Firm, constant, loyal, — a proof we are 

sincere, — 
Instead of eagerness, w^ith constant 

fear 
Of non-acceptance. Mutual our hearts 

should feel. 
For love is not a phantom — it is real. 



78 



A HYMN 

WRITE, read, mourn, and silent 
pray, 
This the routine of a thoughtful day; 
Thy spirit clothed in mortal clay, 
Thy heavenly pilgrimage do not delay. 
Thy shado^v -walks the world about, 
And the enemy of God doth rout; 
Happy in doing all grace allow. 
Glorified in sorrow, reverent bow^. 



79 



ON AN OAK PLANTED FOR 
ME AT MY HOME— 1899 

GROW, slender tree, make shade 
forme 
When I to home return; 
Make foliage fair, and let me see 
A bud w^ithout a -worm. 

Now spring is here, and you are young. 
Scarce ten feet from the ground ; 

Shoot out thy sprays before I come 
To view the scene around. 
80 



ON AN OAK 



8l 



You promise "well, as I am told 
By him v^ho placed you there ; 

Your little leaves will soon unfold, 
And spread so very fair. 

Dear plant, for dear you are to me. 

Shoot quickly now to heaven ; 

For by thy side I shall be free 

The depth of nature fathom. 
II 



CINCINNATI 

SPRING and fall are swallowed up 
By muddy w^inter's horrid slush, 
And summer's blazing cloudless sky. 
Then 't is the time the birds do fly 
For seashore's frolic, foolish scene, 
Or spend the summer driving team 
At Saratoga — a giddy, fashionable drive. 
Others at a mountain inn derive 
More pleasure, and more comfort, too, 
To mingle quietly w^ith a few^; 
But many, like myself retired, 
Could not from here to move be hired. 



82 



AWAY, YE YOUTHFUL 
FRIENDS 

FRIENDS of my former hapless 
days, 
The time I spent with ye now fades ; 
Aw^ay, aw^ay, ye foolish ones! 
From ye, from pleasures am I won. 
Nothing but recollections sad 
Ye bring when I am cheerful, glad. 
Or happy in my element. 
No reproof, how^e'er, have I meant 
By writing this, for it is known 
The choice I 've made now for my own 
Is God. 



83 



A REGRET 

OWHAT a happy eve 'twas mine 
to feel 
But once, and only once, "with an ideal 
More brilliant mind than I had ever 

met! 
'T is mine the sorrow and mine the 

regret 
That friendship's willing love not ready 

found 
In this kind breast. Only in history 

are renown 
Friendship of noble cast, of noble mind, 

84 



A REGRET 85 

As mirrors to each other do refine 
Themselves and the susceptible world 

as w^ell; 
But who, though able to divine, could 

tell 
What may have come had confidence 

here been felt, 

With knowledge and w^isdom they had 

dealt. 
12 



POETRY 

POETRY, thou mistress of my 
lonely heart, 
Thou givest me cares, and thou givest 

me light ; 
From fountain of ecstasy thou spring- 

est as show^er. 
And sprinklest the earth with love 

from thy bow^er ; 
From friends thou hast torn me. 
To God thou hast borne me. 
From home thou dost take me. 
Thy "word is my law. 

86 



POETRY 87 

Sw^eet are the meadows "when thou 

breathest thy soul; 
Soft is the brook ^vhen it moves by 

thy strain ; 
Melodious the birds "when thou givest 

them song; 
Pure, noble, fair, is the soul-beaming 

eye; 
Sw^eeter the fragrant earth, 
More glorified the world, 
More beautiful the heavens. 
But loveliest art thou of all. 



LOVE 

WHO has not loved, can he recall 
an hour 
Spent with love in a celestial bower, 
But what has often sorrowed, and wore 

the pain, 
If more the joy, and O what is the 

gain? 
Possession chills the glow we now 

enjoy. 
And often does in domestic relations 
cloy. 

88 



LOVE 89 

But "wedded love, though tame, is 

kinder far; 
Its settled joys may tune the poet's lyre 
To loftier song, more heavenly strain, 
And all forget his youthful flames, he 

gains 
By this a blazing hearth and children 

dear; 
He has his love without the lover's 

fear. 

But sweet the hours the single hearts 

enjoy 
When in quest it goes for love to buoy 
It up above the tide of troubled sea; 
When all in dark and drear without 

the glee 
Young hearts should feel; for short is 

merry spring, 
When everything in nature seems to 

cling. 



90 LOVE 

Love is a vain but pleasant good v/e 

hold, 
And \vhat of it now feels the aged cold ; 
Discretion yet is to be found with love, 
It is not the w^ay the fervent soul doth 

rove ; 
Who has not tasted of her violent sweets 
Has never loved, nor sipped that love 

in Keats. 

The stolen looks which satisfy the 

sight ; 
The weary hours when of that sight 

denied; 
The laughing tears at lover's charmed 

delight ; 
The heart-breaking thoughts which on 

the wind doth ride. 
Are only few^ of tortures lovers feel, 
And mar the bliss, imagined, nothing 

real. 



MENACES 

WHEN instruments of torture 
doth arise, 
Its influence, like day, at evening dies; 
The freedom of the mind disdains 
These petty trifles, reason's reign 
Rejects, or passes by as calm 
As doth the sun the tempest profound. 



91 



THE EVENING STAR: 
HESPERUS 

O LOVELY star, thy beams afar 
Tell of the ocean filled with 
stars, 
In -which thou movest as moves my 

soul 
Now gazing at Eternity's vast whole. 
O Night, how beautiful is thy light, 
How wondrous fair, and what a de- 
light 
Thou art to a million penetrating eyes 
Seen in this star before it dies. 
Or drops far back, away from sight! 
Good-night, bright star; again good- 
night ! 



92 



THE STORM 

UPON my couch at night I lay, 
With heaven all at war; 
In terror there I heard the fray, 
And \vished it were afar. 

At once my mind grew^ w^ild with 
thought, 

And fears of lightning threw 
Me into aw^e; my heart thus w^rought, 

The lightning I felt drew, 

93 



94 THE STORM 

So bright it shone, so spiritually wild, 
With thunder's loud reports; 

It fell upon my face, then died. 
My thought, the lightning courts. 

To God I prayed, deliver me 

From frenzy such as this ; 
Show me thy love once more to see, 

While rain the earth doth lash ! 

My prayer was heard, the morn brought 
light 

Which illumed my frighted brow; 
But ne'er shall I forget that night 

When heaven at me did scowl. 



SELF-INTEREST 

SELF-INTEREST will, thy heart 
as sure 
Distort, turn upside down ; 
If thou dost buy a toy, endure 
This torment, do not frown. 

That train of thought w^ill sweep away. 
And new^ one take its place; 

Thus knowledge in her way displays 
For art to illume her face. 

Whether a book thou willing publish, 
Or purchase a pair of shoes ; 

Thy w^ork to you seems merely rubbish, 
And is this virtue's dues ? 



95 



ON GREATNESS 

GREATNESS is doing what is just, 
Not in "wearing the conqueror's 
cro>vn ; 
In living nobly, w^ith few to trust, 

For confidence is w^isdom profound. 
The great man will not feign to show 

His spirit to the public mind 
Until he feels it 's old enough to crow^, 
And both his verse and himself re- 
fined. 

96 



ON GREATNESS 97 

Only the spiritual deserves this term, 
Those who like a monument stand, 
Are erect in God, and are as firm 
As iron bands, because they can 
With kno^vledge sure, and \visdom di- 
vine. 
Claim "without honor this due place, 
And show their strength in living 
rhyme, 
And die, members of the immortal 
race. 
13 



REPOSE IN SORROW 

IF thou art sad, denied, bereft, 
Of every favorite look, 
Thy troubles then are found and left 
Within a much-loved book. 

We should our sorro"ws never tell ; 

Who has much sorrow shared, 
Prefers to hide, and often d\vell 

W^ith those who thus have fared. 

No sw^eeter pleasure can be know^n, 
We're happiest w^hen w^e're sad; 

Fortune w^ells tenderly w^hen dow^n, 
Then cares not to be glad. 
98 



REPOSE IN SORRO^V 99 

The miserable are Heaven's guests, 
"Who dine at angels' board; 

With them to live is my request, 
Their food earth can 't afford. 



The soul afflicted pants for home, 

And looks for it above, 
In heaven's bowers shoTv longs to 
roam, 

And feel but po'wer of love. 

*T is proof enough the soul must rest. 
From cares her peace harass ; 

Its haven is the heavenly breast. 
There love God does not class. 



PHILOSOPHY AND 
RELIGION 

PHILOSOPHY, Religion— in nature 
one, — 
But there is a distinction: 
He who loves philosophy has some, 
But not enough religion. 

Philosophy -walks without a crutch, 
'Tis well as long as strong; 

But let adversity quickly touch. 
It can not walk so, long. 



lOO 



INTRODUCING A BOOK 

A BOOK when into the world is 
sent 
Is Nature's flower, there it unfolds; 
It is a gift the author presents, 
And with it, his soul. 

But if that soul in heaven doth dw^ell, 

Disdains to fall to earth; 
His book w^ill close, its petals shall 

Only in heaven have birth. 



14 loi 



TO METAPHYSICIANS 



D 



OUBT matter if you wish to 
doubt, 

Doubt when you speculate bold; 
But mind you can not possibly doubt, 
You thus its pow^er unfold. 



I02 



^A/^ISDOM 

IF vessel full with knowledge falls 
Upon the worldling's floor; 
It is a waste one ne'er recalls, 
Such mind will call for more. 

The mind more thought will never hold 

Than is enough for one; 
Wisdom more precious than knowledge 
cold, 

Because not overdone. 

O maid of years and thought and love, 

None fairer to the mind; 
Thou art an angel from above, 

And to the soul art kind. 



103 



TO Y 

O YOUTH, simplicity divine 
Doth grace thy thoughtful brow; 
Perfection will be thine in time, 
Thy mind He w^ill endow. 

Thou docile nature, rise to heaven, 
Let arrogance see thy soul; 

Folly no longer claims thy heart. 
Apart thou art a whole. 

A generous nature, ever kind, 
Thy mien is worthy praise ; 

Thy manner is the most refined, 
It speaks thee prosperous days. 



104 



THE ^A/'ISH 

(THE AIR CAUGHT FROM A HAND-ORGAN) 

MORNING fair, 
Morning fair, 
Listen to my lay; 
Bring me love, bring me love, 
To cheer me my day. 
Morning bright, 
Morning bright, 
Send me from above 
Blessing that with me will stay, 
Something more than clay. 

105 



I06 THE WISH 

Evening dew, 
Evening de^v, 
Let thy zephyr blow^; 
Shed upon my bro\v thy tears, 
Let them silent flow. 
Evening dew, 
Evening dew, 
I have many fears, 
The morn w^ith love forgot to give 
The token to live. 



ADDRESS TO 
MY OWN PERSONALITY 



F 



AREWELL to the mortal, fare- 
well to myself; 
I 'm something of one, I 'm something 

of all ; 
From the flower I imbibe its purity 

rare, 
From the bird its music, and from man 
His life as I find it; gowned in joy, 
Misery, or strife, it is at the time, my 

life. 



107 



THERE IS NO MARRYING 
IN HEAVEN 



p 



OSSESSION is sweet to those 
loving sight, 
It is the chief motive to wed; 
But he who loves best, having God's 
light,— 
A lover may be of the dead. 



Those marriages made by the sly, w^oo- 
ing heart 
Have been said to live long and be 
true ; 
But they are not noble who take such 
a part, 
And the soul should not w^hen they 
do. 



io8 



SORROAV: 
FOOD FOR GENIUS 

9/nr\ IS sorrow lights the genius part, 
A And sets it in a flame; 

'T is pang or torture rends the heart, 
Which gives to it the name. 

'T is only when the rose is crushed, 
The fragrance does not die; 

'T is laid away in jar as dust, 
Not there its perfume lies. 

The soul with anguish, mortal born, 
Speeds quickly to its grave; 

It breathes divine when it 's forlorn, 
And is not mortals' slave. 



109 



VIEWING A PARADE 

ONE in spirit, one in thought, 
Our souls looked out together; 
The mob enjoyed what we thought 
naught, 
We sailed above like feather. 



no 



THE MUSIC OF THE SOUL 

O IMMORTAL tune that stirs my 
soul, 
Like earthquake shakes the earth; 
How many a thought within doth roll, 
Unfettered and sans birth ! 

How oft w^hen I 'm severely pushed 

By trial too hard to bear, 
Thou tripped along and bore the crown 

To deck my patience fair! 



Ill 



ETERNITY 

THROUGH the dark space, Eter- 
nity's realm, 
The soul must travel alone; 
O'er the ocean, with God at the helm, 
The spirit rides the foam. 

This prospect vast, it thrills my heart 

With fear it can't control ; 
Of it I knovr I am a part. 

Only a speck, my soul. 

This consciousness alone will live. 
How, w^hen, or w^here unknown; 

'T is vain to wonder when God tells 
The secret of death's groan. 

112 



ETERNITY II3 

Go — sho^v the learned 't is folly, then, 

To try to fathom death ; 
Through boundless space the spirit's 
ken 

Is but suspended breath. 

No mortal eye hath seen the light 

That in the bosom lay 
Of those whose souls had taken flight, 

And told us not the way. 

And what they 've told the soul pro- 
claimed, 
Freed from its earthly mold ; 
'T is little, but no one is blamed, 
For all they saw^ they told. 
15 



TO 

WHY doth thou now pursue, 
A love that doth not -warm 
thy breast? 
None but thy affinity to sue 
Will build for thee the heavenly nest. 

"Why sympathy to her give 

If perfect love doth not respond? 

W^ithout her you can live ; 

You are of her, perhaps, too fond. 

Dost thou not know that love 
Alternate given is unblessed ? 

Tw^o hearts at once, above, 

Must feel that love w^hich is our 
rest. 



114 



MELANCHOLY 

MELANCHOLY, thou bury'st me 
in a grave so deep, 
That I, a prey to every reptile, weep ; 
The sight of heaven, to me so dear, 

denied, 
And every face I love now seems un- 
kind. 

Despair sits heavy on my stony heart ; 
My tears may soften if some other 

heart 
Grieves and sorrows for an untrue 

friend, 
But not for me this lonely heart mus 

rend. 

"5 



Il6 MELANCHOLY 

Thou art the cause of many evil acts ; 
Poor ^vretch, when tried by fate and 

wisdom, lacks, 
Puts the w^eapon to his fevered brow^, 

which snaps, 
And what is left the sod forever wraps. 



Thou makest many a cushioned home 

so drear 
That inmates long have ceased to joy 

or fear ; 
Their heavy hearts have learned to 

bear thee well, 
W^hich wrinkled brow and saddening 

brow oft tell. 



But thou art saddest w^hen to youth 

thou comest. 
These tender hearts so soon to grieve 

thou lovest ; 



MELANCHOLY 1 17 

The lesson of life early to them to 

teach, 
And thus by care their hapless souls^ 

to reach. 

'Tis "well, for "we who are by sorrow 

taught 
The loss of self, with love of God are. 

fraught ; 
And to His service early bend our 

wills, 

And w^ith His Spirit He us freely fills. 

i6 



TO 

1HAD not thought to meet you in 
a cheerful mood ; 
Thou seemst to me to be of thought 
a \vall 
Through -which my spirit searching 
thine for food 
Could penetrate not. How oft to 
God I call 
In friendship's name a congenial soul 

to feel ; 
And have I found one ? Must I sacri- 
fice the ideal 
To make the friendship seem to us 

more real ? 
Beautiful mind thou hast, superior ! 

I seal 
My broadest love — the spiritual — thine 
I hope to feel. 



ii8 



WRITTEN AFTER A WALK 
IN SPRING GROVE 

SLOW, slow, slow moves the fu- 
neral to the grave, 
Where now^ w^ill sleep some soul. It 

is a cave 
.Where w^orms devour, yea, feast on 

man so strong. 
Is it to humiliate him that he not 

w^rong 
These creatures like himself w^hen 
reason gone ? 

119 



120 A WALK IN SPRING GROVE 

here will lie a breathless person long 
Beneath the sod, "when midnight shad- 
ow's stir 

(If stir they do) alone to be ; so weird 
A thought crept o'er me as I viewed 

the scene 
Of loved ones laden with tokens. So 

keen 
Their sufferings were when deep w^as 

laid his all, 
A husband of his wife bereft ! To fall 
Before them into the fated grave, yet 

blessed 

1 w^ished myself, save this form, and 

give mine rest. 



DREAMS 

DREAMS clothe the mind in 
Fancy's gown, 
The color varies with the mood ; 
Merry or sad, the cause the same ! 
To dreams we do not give a name. 
One may, he thinks, a mountain raise, 
Or sleep w^ith worms for many days. 
Wed and be happy for an hour 
In some unknown airy bower ; 
Ride the pale moon and view the space 
Through w^hich the stars forever race. 
E'en murder the purest soul wll clinch, 
And bring it before a supreme bench; 
No crime, no pleasure, no ill or weal, 
But what the soul in dream will feel. 



121 



TO H 



I LOVE your gentle spirit, and I 
taste your soul, 
O shed on me thy radiant self! 
The story of my love lies in thy book 
untold, 
O search, my friend, this w^ritten leaf. 



O never, never can my heart from thee 
sever, 
Unless they are broken in t'wo; 
From the "world I would flee, but from 
thee I never 
Would leave "what I most love to sue. 



122 



o 



IN LIFE— ADIEU 



NCE more they met, at evening 
tide, 

And listened to each other's heart; 
In one the other did confide, 
For now they will forever part. 



Once more he played the inspiring 
strain 
She loved ; he never will again ; 
From desert w^orld at first he came, 
'T was happiness, but all in vain. 
123 



124 IN LIFE— ADIEU 

It will be place which parts them now, 

O when loved hearts roam far apart 

How soon the thread w^hich binds by 

sight 

Breaks and winds around another 

heart. 



Once more she sighed, and w^ell she 
might ; 
'Tis seldom that the heart is wrung 
By deathly farew^ell. In this plight 
How oft the soul has passionate 
clung. 



NO YEARS IN TRUTH 

THERE is no age in ^Visdom's 
"ways, 
View Pope at twenty-one; 
Joy, sorrow^, fear, and love are days 
Unlike the seasons run. 

A man is old if he has truth. 
And progress may be slow; 

A man at eighty is uncouth 
If he has known no foe. 



125 



H 



MAN 



OW great, how glorious is the 
might of man ! 
His will bent to works of God, har- 
monious 
With His as w^ell, doth rule the whole, 

he can 
Together w^ith His pow^er wield: mo- 
notonous 
The day mortal in weakness with only 
eyes 

126 



MAN 127 

To view the wonders of man's great 
dominion. 

Without God's grace, "what is he? he 
doth die 

Enriched by heavenly blessing — a do- 
nation 

Would make him god, with power to 
change his destination. 



O LET ME AVHEN I DIE, 
IN RAPTURE DIE 



o 



LET me 'when I die, in rapture 
die. 

With heart on fire, illumed by earth 
and sky; 

Like bird my soul while singing home- 
"ward fly, 

And all the angels pass me smiling by. 

Gaze, approve, and accept me in their 
choir, 

To sing my lays, touched by their im- 
mortal fire. 



128 



TO H- 



IMAGE of nature; thou god of the 
sky, 
On thy cheek roses bloom, peace in 

thy eye ; 
Alternate the moon rise, and then the 

fair sun 
On thy countenance: thou art of 
beauty the son. 



17 129 



O ^VHEN TO EARTH THIS 
BODY MUST RETURN 

OWHEN to earth this body must 
return, 
Give it no thought, no monument, 
no tomb. 
Nor sprinkle it with lilies ; 't is a worm 
Of earth, this delicate mold of clay, 
where room 
Is given it w^ith other worms to creep 
The cemetery through, and enjoy the 
verdure there. 
130 



O WHEN TO EARTH I3I 

O under some grand, noble oak to 
sleep 
Is better than a marble slab, how^e'er 
fair; 
'T is something that doth live, enjoys 
the air, 
And shades the place for birds to 
gather there ; 
Or if a little myrtle \vreathes my bed, 
To touch this forlorn spot no one 
would dare. 



EPISTLE TO MRS. MORRIS 

A LETTER to thee I now write, 
It bears a message of my love; 
I am not feeling well to-night, 

Yet I exist, thanks to God above. 
The spirit moves me at this hour 

To tell thee what thou art to me; 
'Twill suit thee, — a full - bloomed 
flow^er, 
While I am but a bud to thee. 
Thou who the power of Heaven long 
felt 
From me no word of praise accept; 
132 



EPISTLE TO MRS. MORRIS 133 

Forgive all thoughts I may have dealt 
Now thou hast gone, the best thou 
kept. 

Many long and w^eary summer days 
Shall pass before thou returnst ; I 

In virtue's ways may sing some lays ; 

A friend's long absence makes Apollo 

sigh. 
i8 



ADIEU TO EARTH 



yv 



ELL, earth, thou hast thy share 
of me, I know, 
But canst thou claim this burdened 
brow ! 
Yes, soon my form w^ill lie in thee, 
my woe 
To even give you that right now. 



I came here for an object, not to 
breathe 
Longer than that purpose gained; 
When I my mission have fulfilled, I 
leave, 
My spirit now is on the w^ane. 

134 



ADIEU TO EARTH 135 

Those -who learned home, and feel as 
strangers here, 
No longer look for years of health ; 
Nor do they hold the gift so temporal 
dear 
But as it gives them heavenly wealth. 

Too soon, too soon, I '11 greet thee, 
parent earth ; 
The flower as soon as bloom doth 
die, 
And thus the soul : perfection show^s 
its w^orth. 
To higher region then it fly. 



FALSE HEARTS 

WITHIN the grass, with flowers 
round, 
Lies hidden the sting of reptile; 
Before you see, he has you dow^n, 
Unfeeling man is just as subtle. 

Where admiration has been show^n, 
And among the noblest manners 
found. 

You find there is a malicious tone, 
Upon the scoffer 't is w^ell to frow^n. 

If there be hearts w^ith serpent's sting 
Within circumference of my love, 

O never let me hear the ring 

Of groveling creatures sportive rove. 



136 



MIDNIGHT 

?/T^IS midnight, and the suburb hill 
A Sleeps peaceful; moon and stars 
bright peep ; 
I see them now from out my sill ; 
From earth to heaven a watch I 
keep, 
With books to fill, way in the night ; 
Nor w^ink the stars, but wink my 
eyes. 
If dark the heaven to my sight, 

For in those orbs grave Wisdom lies ; 
My tutor's the w^eird and sleepless 
night, 
When God reveals to every heart 
His beauty, majesty, power, delight. 
O the rapture, by thyself apart ! 



137 



TO H 

TO you I offer all — my heart, 
Though gift to you, you may not 

prize ; 
*T is all I have w^ith which to part. 

Unlike this rose — it never dies. 



Most things are precious to the sight; 

Possession seems to w^ound the 
charm ; 
Rare gifts are welcome if the right 

Mien offers them, the heart to w^arm. 

138 



TO H 139 

A gift is loved when 'tis blessed, 
We should not force, nor offer t^vice; 

Soft it must lay within the breast, 
A look for thee w^ill then suffice. 



Let silent thought w^in w^hat it may. 
For what is w^orth the thought is 
worth 

The pain; then offer up thy love, 
Though in heaven only it have birth. 



FORTUNE 

ONLY one day is passed — it seems 
an age ; 
The experience is one of a year; 
My eager soul, freed from its narroTv 
cage, 
Has roamed the gay "world w^ithout 
fear. 

The pleasure it felt made up for the 
tears 
Which for years have silently flow^ed; 
The smiles of Fortune, though cloy, 
have no fears. 
Yet give me the bliss felt alone. 



140 



A LOVER'S SONG 

(AIR HEARD FROM MY WINDOW) 

OSES now bloom in the garden, 
my love, 
Bees are sipping the sw^eet; 
What is it thyself hardened, my love, 
Why doth thy heart not eat? 



R 



141 



TO A FRIEND 

COME, though weather be not 
mild, 
And stars are hid from sight ; 
And sun in splendor wild 

Has taken his last hour's flight 
Of this day's brief life ; come, 

And bring thyself, for the eve 
Is lonely, that work is done, 
Without my love not leave. 

Come, renew the ardor of my soul. 
It needs thy freshening thought; 

To it new^ mind unfold 

From some sad book thou caught. 

142 



TO A FRIEND 143 

Bring me that generous love 
Which sparkles in thy eye, 

And all thou receivest above, 
Such blessing as not die. 

Together -we in love 

Hold conference w^ith our God, 
And ask the stars above 

To accept our humble laud. 
Together feel the prayer, 

Such prayer as gro^vs w^ithin. 
And dw^ells with nature fair. 

Such souls God's favor win. 



TO 

DEAD is the past, my own sad 
past, 
My breath thou hast willing become ; 
O let this friendship forever last, 
Let not thy spirit from me run. 

Together at the w^orld just peep, 

Nor taint our souls w^ith its foul 
breath ; 

Together o'er our misery weep, 
United even after death. 

Your verses told me of your w^oe; 

Your soul is troubled, that I know, 
To find a place for me just so. 

Within your heart you wish me low, 

144 



TO 145 

Do not, my friend, rebel, for I 

Shall nestle there in time, and be 

Some company to you, or I die : 

I need you more, far more, you see. 

In tears I came, you met them well. 
But I to you then could not speak; 

All that I felt I could not tell, 
Yet softly did your spirit seek. 

Happier am I than I was then. 
That pent-up feeling soon would 
burst ; 

And I w^ithout deep w^isdom's ken 
Would cloy upon your ideal thirst. 

Many times our souls w^ill troubled be. 
The spiritual food partake w^hile 
may; 
Not oft are w^e so entirely free, 
Not to observe w^ould cause delay, 
19 



TO 

DOUBT not, kind friend, my love 
sincere, 
I would not steal thine heart; 
If another to it is very dear, 
O — must I feel the dart? 

No other one can take thy place 
Within this soul of mine; 

Ho\vever sweet to thee her face, 
So ever to me thine. 

In verse I w^ould express to thee 
"What look may fail to tell; 

My heart is thine, you have the key 
To w^here my treasures dw^ell. 
146 



TO 147 

If from me you should go, my soul, 

Eternal life I'd lose; 
E'en Heaven to accept my scroll. 

Perchance, might then refuse. 

Doubt not, dear friend, doubt not my 
love, 

'T is thine, forever thine ; 
For all thy tenderness, look above. 

For blessing, not for mine. 



TO 

COME, the moon and I both wait 
thee now, 
The day has been so long; 
And I have had a thoughtful brow^, 
Which wakens now my song. 

I tremble for thou wilt not come. 
The hour is drawing near ; 

I look away, I dread. Though from 
A distance, come, my dear! 

The stars shine bright above my sight, 
The noise is quelled below^; 

All hushed, 't is beauty's lovely night, 
The heavens are all aglow. 

148 



TO 149 

I dare not move for fear I lose 
Thy spirit's favorite look; 

if thou come, a sigh refuse, 
Thee none, my soul thou took. 

When last we met, come bring it back 
This night, with thine together; 

1 could not bear a soul to lack, 
I may have stormy weather. 

The hour has past, alas ! alas ! 

Had I not been so sad, 
Thou would'st have come by mental 
dash 
Along our line, and glad. 
20 



SORROAV FOR A FRIEND'S 
ABSENCE 

A FRIEND has left me, sweet and 
near, 
And I did truly love her; 
She has been mine for many a year, 
Ne'er shall I forget her. 

The home in -which Tve \vhispered all 
The saddest things "we feared, 

Has now^ forever had its fall 
In history of ours endeared. 

Nothing remains to sho-w the hours 

Together spent in heaven ; 
There is not even one lone flower 

To cheer my heart now riven. 

150 



A FRIEND^S ABSENCE 15^ 

She from my memory is erased, 
But her spirit's gently near; 

Her heart 's within my own incased. 
And yet I shed a tear. 

For years are well upon her head, 
^A/'hich make her all the dearer; 

But when she'll numbered with the 
dead, 
Then we to God be nearer. 



"WITH FRIENDS 

HOW beautiful conversation is, 
that glo'ws 

With brilliant minds, soft, easy, sym- 
pathetic, kind. 

Where superiority is suppressed, and 
love prevails ; 

W^hat ballroom scene compares w^ith 
gathered friends ? 

W^ho of each other think, inviting 
good 

And noble sentiments of the heart to 
rise, 

152 



WITH FRIENDS 153 

And each as eloquent, speaks his 
mind, and mild 

As azure sky, charms, "warms, soothes 
so tenderly 

That all the pain each every hour en- 
dures 

Is lost in one kind, social chat with 
friends. 



A 



DECORATION-DAY 

PARADE is passing my bowers' 
eye, 

I hear the music, I care not for the 
sight ; 
'T is better without its strains to feel 
and sigh 
For patriotism, for love and duty's 
right 
Than show^ to vulgar cheers, encour- 
age fever 
W^hich now too often blazes, — O if 
Thought prevailed 
A paradise w^e 'd have, and all be 
clever, 
Instead of deaths and heart-breaks, 
thus bewailed 
Our soldiers happier in repose, sanc- 
tion my tale. 



154 



O FOR A SPOT 

o 



FOR a spot unfrequented by all 
W^ho of my heart are not; 
Where misfortune never Tvill befall 



W^ho of my heart are not; 
misfortune never Tvill bei 
My friends w^ith world forgot ! 



A quiet nook Tvhere dw^ells the owner's 
soul, 
Inviting Love's sweet rest ; 
Where secretly the powers of mind 
unfold, 
And wisdom is in quest. 

But O, to live without one cherished 
place. 
Such seems to be my lot; 
Where not one heart cheers me w^ith 
smiling face. 
And bids my cares forgot! 



155 



O MOON, GOOD-NIGHT 

OMOON, beautiful, sailing, silvery 
moon ! 
Whom lovers love to chide, and long 

for fate 
To meet their wishes \vhile thou 

shin'st late 
In full -orbed light — to-night thou 

leav'st too soon ; 
But fare-thee-"well, my spirit's kindly 

tune ' ■' 

Bids thee adieu ; to-morrow^ night the 

date 
May not be ours. Of thee none ever 

sate; 

156 



O MOON, GOOD-NIGHT 157 

The sun in fiery flight many doth doom, 

But thou, benignant friend, thy nature 
charms. 

And thou no spirit ever, ever harms. 

Through mountainous regions of re- 
splendent light 

Roll'st thou with easy liberty and slow 
to sight ; 

Thou travel'st through those spacious 
realms so bright 

That I upon thee look, and say good- 
night ! 



TO 

SWEET, delicious soul! thy pres- 
ence soft 
(Like fragrance of a full-blown rose), 
And birds enchantingly fluttering aloft 
Awaked me from a horrible doze. 

Could I have felt thy gentle tread, 
And know^n thee as my shadow, love, 

Methinks a happy heart I 'd sped. 
But O, my soul it did not move. 

All night, a trembling leaf, I lay. 
Tossed by every unruly blast; 

But morn has brought a peaceful day, 
O that it might forever last ! 



158 



TO C. W. T. 

FELLOW in poesy, our ships no\v 
set sail 
O'er the ocean of art, with its cares 

and its darts; 
But we, with true, loyal, unconquer- 
able hearts 
Will brave the rough gales, though our 

barks may be frail. 
What w^ere w^e lost — w^ho for us would 
bew^ail, 
Unless 't is our pilot, who gives us 

our start, 
And keeps us together, though still 
far apart, 

159 



l60 TO C. W. T. 

But reviewers then left to report the 
sad tale. 
In song thou excell'st me, in music 

and rhyme, 
Yet I dare to exhibit my soul, 't is 
no crime ; 
The poetic nature, if robbed of its 

meed 
May be crushed like the flo'wer, and 
put forth no seed. 
Fair ^veather should favor, for God *s 

in the air, 
No worse than others do we hope to 
fare. 



AVRITTEN IN ^*LADY OF 
THE LAKE'' 

(BOUGHT AT HAMILTON, OHIO, 1899) 

SWEET memory sweet, record this 
day 
As one — the happiest of my life, 
In which in realm unknow^n, my lay 
Was freed from every care and strife. 

Upon the heavens I looked unbound. 
And felt the glory of Freedom's 
dow^er ; 
I view^ed the active scene around, 
And lived exalted — those few hours. 
21 161 



l62 '*LADY OF THE LAKE" 

My friend's kind presence fed my soul 
With beauty none but his could give; 

And O, the bliss remains untold, 
In memory only can it live. 

This little book the tale doth tell, 
Read Tvhen my heart was happy — 
light. 
In dreamy mood, I know so well, 
My cherished thoughts did take their 
flight. 

Forever let this city be 

The fairest spot to memory dear; 
Though little of it I did see. 

Yet in it I have left a tear. 



LIFE 

L 



ISTEN to the din of city life, 
How it upon the tender ear doth 
grate, 
And rob it of the eternal w^ith its strife. 
And O, what is sad mortals' earthly- 
fate: 
To drudge, to sleep, to eat, and last to 
die 
Is this all that we are — a problem 
strange ? 
A breath which wrenches many a 
heartfelt sigh, 
And loses, w^ith slightest change. 
Imagination's range. 
16:; 



164 LIFE 

In trembling fear w^e view the empty 
scene 
Or uncertain strong, soar regions in 
the air; 
We gaze upon the solar melting beam, 
And -when it fades, in buried sleep 
we banish care. 
In anxious hour, we w^ait w^ith hopeful 
fear, 
And strive the future to foresee and 
change, 
^A/'hen God to us no longer keeps one 
dear. 
Our hearts bew^ail, droop, sigh, and 
perish then. 
Glad from this struggling fever to be 
freed. 
E'en joy her visits make in sorrow- 
gowned. 
The fate of nations like us are, we read: 
Its health, its wealth, its constitu- 
tion too unsound. 



SEI' k, 1899 






■ ■ .,. :..-L, ■:• -.ji-^jt-./'ivt^--.;vf/;'!lr''..: 

■ ■. '.Vv. -.^^ •../;'■,-';••- ';v'!V=-.-,:.vV :J,,,$<,-^^ 

' •■••■ •', <■*■.;'.>•■■-,:•; ■.^•■•^//,.:('-'tI':"'--i'?^ 
.- ■ .. ■( V .■■( i- i.-,M f'i •■.'■;'-.K <«-;;. 'c. 




'■ ' : '■ :'',■-'?',■' ^-.' 'J' »'V.' >l*.'i^■f^?'x 
■,■'.■,.:■.,. •-!• ■, v.. <:../.■,•■■. I Jr, a ?f IS 




-^ ^ -.i'^ ■ V-:. : V. ■ :■ \^-':^J':S^L:^fM 
■ ■■, ■ . ,V ■'•' ■'••■■'.•■'■' 5; w). -■'.•■. .■.*■■ 



?i?i^95SS^,^ 



